Wednesday, September 08, 2004, 04:00 pm

Steve Jobs returns to Apple

By AppleInsider Staff

After undergoing surgery in late July Apple CEO Steve Jobs will return to work full time at Apple later this month.

Jobs, who underwent successful surgery to remove cancer from his pancreas, is attending some company meetings and plans to return to full-time work later this month, Apple spokeswoman Katie Cotton told CNet News.com on Wednesday.

The very rare form of pancreatic cancer called an islet cell neuroendocrine tumor, which represents about 1% of the total cases of pancreatic cancer diagnosed each year, was cured by surgical removal, Jobs told company employees in an August memo.

While Jobs was off recuperating, Apple vice president Timothy Cook was put in charge of the company's day-to-day operations.

Last week the company introduced its next-generation iMac G5 at the Apple Expo trade show in Paris, France. Jobs, who reportedly oversaw the development of the iMac G5 on almost a daily basis, was unable to attend the event due to his recovery. Apple vice president Phil Schiller assumed the role of Jobs, introducing the new iMac to the world.